OLD MAGIC

Chapter 11: Compromise

"I say enough!" Sirius roared, leaping to his feet, directing his ire toward Dumbledore. "He's been as honest as he can be. Anyone can plainly see he's been well cared for and loved, as well as educated and trained to protect himself. There's no evil in him! What more do you want?"

"It doesn't prove he wasn't reared by someone with an agenda that's in line with the Dark Lord's," Moody snapped, mulishly.

"But, there is no way to prove that," Arthur Weasley said. The interrogation of the child these many hours had made him uncomfortable and angry. "I agree with Sirius. Enough of this questioning."

"He's a child and we have no right to continue berating him this way. I can feel he's not got an evil bone in his body, why can't you?" Molly shouted, equally angry.

"I agree! How ya goin' to prove he ain't good when everything about him feels fair not foul, if you know wat I mean?" Tonks interjected, always willing to tweak Moody's grimness with her irreverence at any opportunity.

Moody was about to blast her with one of his security lectures when Remus Lupin stood up.

"Perhaps I can settle this matter...my senses are keener than any of you...even yours Moody. If he's been in contact with our enemy, I should be able to sniff it out," he suggested, eyeing Dumbledore questioningly.

"Good idea, Moony!" Sirius cried, hoping his friend would solve their dilemma with his wolf nose. Moody glared but said nothing as Dumbledore didn't object, nodding at Lupin to go ahead.

Lupin smiled and walked toward Harry, stopping before the boy and looking down. Feeling no threat from the werewolf, Harry smiled back and waited.

"Hello, Harry...may I do a little sniffing?" Lupin asked, quietly.

"Of course, if it will stop all this questioning, please do," the boy agreed, relieved. He was getting hardily tired of fencing with everyone and wanted to end this quickly.

Lupin nodded and leaned closer to the boy, sniffing deeply, his eyes going wolf amber for a moment. No whiff of evil clung to the boy but something else certainly did. A form of magic he'd only had brief encounters with when he was in the forest during the full moon. It always lingered around him for a little while when the wolf receded at sunrise.

Knowing the forest dwellers were keeping watch over him eased his fears of harming any innocents the wolf might encounter during the night. He didn't think they did it because they cared about him in particular, they were most likely more concerned for their own kind but he appreciated their watchfulness nonetheless.

Suspecting Harry had been taken and reared by those that used old magic, he felt he owed them a debt for caring and keeping the boy safe so he chose not to reveal his suspicions. The only thing he would impart was the scent of a benign magical source on Harry's body. Let them try and figure out what that might be.

His senses also told him the boy harbored a great deal of power, heavily shielded. It spoke to him of someone who could become more powerful than Dumbledore and the Dark Lord given time. Hope sprang in his chest at the thought of when the boy became a man, it was possible this war would finally be ended if Harry was even half as powerful as his young body seemed to promise. Pleased with his discoveries, he stood straight again, winked at Harry conspiratorially, before schooling his features to a more serious mien as he turned to face his fellow Order members. Time to get the heat off the boy.

Stepping away from Harry he addressed the waiting group. "I scent no evil clinging to Harry but I do smell a strange form of benign magic lingering on his person. I have no idea what it could be but it isn't evil either."

Snape's eyebrows rose at that rather bland and misleading statement. He knew Lupin's senses would have detected the aura left by the forest dwellers just as he could but had decided not to report that to anyone here. I wonder why? He mused. Perhaps he should have a little chat with the werewolf sometime soon.

Dumbledore eyed the boy a long moment while Moody grumbled under his breath about using werewolves to detect evil when they were supposed to be evil themselves. Lupin shot the ex-auror a glare of anger but wisely didn't respond, returning to his seat next to Tonks. Sirius was still standing, a look of triumph on his face.

"So, can we end this farce now?" he demanded.

Molly couldn't help but roll her eyes at Sirius' disrespect but knew it was useless trying to make the man change his ways...he was a rebel... plain and simple and always would be.

"I hardly think a quick sniff is sufficient to ally our concerns," Shacklebolt objected.

Dumbledore sighed to himself. It was a stalemate. He knew what that benign magical aura was and suspected Lupin did too but it was just as obvious, neither of them wanted the others to know most likely for different reasons. Anyway, Lupin's findings only confirmed the clues he'd gotten from Fawkes and Severus. Harry had been in the keeping of the forest dwellers but no one here except for those that already knew, would believe that, so keeping it a secret was for the best right now, though this certainly made it difficult to convince Moody why they were so certain Harry was not a minion of the Dark Lord.

This didn't mean Dumbledore wasn't more than a little miffed the forest dwellers failed to tell him the whereabouts of the boy from the beginning. But he let that go as they had sent him the boy after all, though more trained and wiser than he had wanted. Still it meant Harry wouldn't be easy prey for the Dark Lord and his minions and that was a good thing. So he really couldn't complain.

Glancing over at Alastor, he could see the old ex-auror eyeing the boy intently with his magical eye. Dumbledore wondered what he saw. Shaking his head, he knew Moody would not reveal his suspicions to him until he'd done some investigating. Doubtful he would find out much as the forest dwellers had no love for the man. Sighing, the Headmaster returned his attention to the patiently waiting boy and his impatient Godfather.

"I'm afraid it will have to do," he began then raised a palm to signal quiet when Alastor and Kingsley tired to object again. "There are no other tests we can safety conduct nor other questions that would get us the answers we seek so we must assume he is innocent of any association with the Dark Lord's minions," he said firmly then looked down at the boy. "Harry, please forgive our need to test you this way. The Dark Lord has many ears and eyes about, even here, so I am grateful that you're not naive about the dangers and seemed to be more adequately prepared than your classmates. I am certain this was because of the care your guardians took to rear and train you. It sets my mind more at ease about your safety here. You may return to your dorm to get some much needed rest as you have a very busy day ahead of you tomorrow," he said kindly, his blue eyes twinkling.

Relieved, Harry gave the Headmaster a small smile and a nod then rose from his seat and hurried toward the door. He hadn't quite reached it before his Godfather halted him by wrapping his arms around the boy's body and hugging tight.

"When we can make some time, we need to get together so we can get acquainted and I can tell you about your parents as well as answer any other questions you might have," he promised.

Harry smiled more broadly and hugged the man back. "That would be wonderful, Sirius. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Sleep well, Harry," Sirius said warmly, pulling back and ruffling the boy's messy hair affectionately before releasing him.

"You too," Harry murmured before turning and leaving the room. Once on the staircase, he nearly flew down the stairs to the main floor and hurried back to his dorm, relieved he'd made it through the interrogation without giving away any important secrets. He only hoped they would leave him alone now.

A small dark shape appeared by his side, its small legs running to keep up with the hurrying boy.

It mewed to get his attention.

Harry halted his headlong flight to squat down next to his furry friend. "Wine, you've been waiting for me?"

Wine nodded his head and purred under Harry's scratching fingers between his ears.

"Then you know what went on. Let our mutual friend know what happened please and that I'll try and slip away to see him if I can sometime soon."

The kneazle nodded, accepted another scratch before turning away and heading back down the hall toward the main entrance, his body vanishing from view before he went more than a few paces.

Smiling, Harry stood up and hurried off again. Reaching the portrait he quickly muttered the password, the lady smiled warmly at him before swinging open the door. In the common room a small group of his classmates stood or sat around waiting, they all looked tired and grumpy. Harry frowned a moment in confusion before remembering they had astronomy class tonight. Glancing up at the old clock on the wall he saw he'd made it with forty-five minutes to spare. Rolling his eyes, he realized he'd been in Dumbledore's office over three hours.

"Oy! Where have you been," Ron asked, coming up to Harry's side where he still stood just inside the closed door.

"Professor Dumbledore needed to speak with me," Harry sighed.

"Oh, bad stuff that, you look a bit worn out. They badger you a bit?" Ron asked, concerned.

"A bit but it's all right now" Harry refused to elaborate.

To his pleased surprise, Ron didn't ask for an explanation. "That's good," he said, smiling then covering a yawn that caught him by surprise. "Blimey, who ever heard of a class held at night?" He groused.

"Well, when did you think you'd be able to see the stars?" Hermione's voice spoke up from behind Harry.

"I don't see why we even need this kind of class in the first place," Ron complained. That set Hermione off on a wordy and long winded explanation of the need for astronomy in the creation or casting of some spells and potions.

Harry only listened with part of his attention. He realized not only did he have this class to attend but he still needed to speak to Snape about Professor Quirrell. Hope I get some sleep tonight, he mused, then yawned. It had already been an impossibly long day and the night was beginning to look like its mirror.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"I don't trust him." Moody said flatly the moment the door was shut behind Potter.

"I must admit, I don't either," Shacklebolt agreed, a look of concern on his dark skinned face.

"For goodness sake's! He's only a child," Molly Weasley exclaimed, annoyed with the pair of them.

"That boy behaved like no child should or could at his age. He's too sure of himself and his shields are far beyond a child's capabilities."

Molly snorted in exasperation. "Of course he's sure of himself! His guardians trained him to be that way so he could defend himself since they could not be by his side to do so themselves. It was the smart thing to do...what any parent would do to protect their child. But none of that changes the fact Harry is just a child. He has much to learn and a body to grow into."

"With the skills he possesses already, I suspect he could very well defend himself nearly like an adult already. You can't continue to call him a child while he stood there with shields strong enough to keep us out," Moody pointed out caustically.

"It just means he's had good teachers and possesses the seeds of the power we saw in his father and mother," McGonagall retorted, defending her student.

The Headmaster saw it was time to intervene as Sirius was ready to go to blows with Moody and Molly was boiling over with fury at the old auror's obstinate attitude. "Enough!" He ordered, power behind his voice forcing obedience.

The Order went silent, turning to stare at him in startled surprise.

"I understand your concerns Alaster...Kingsley... but let me assure you, Harry is only eleven and he shouldn't be condemned simply because he received advanced training and education by his guardians at a younger age than his peers. There are others here that have been trained by their parents before coming here as well."

"But they didn't receive training so advanced as to allow them to actually challenge an adult," Moody jumped in.

Dumbledore gave him a frosty look. "I have it on good authority that a few of our students have that level of training so Harry is not an exception. Being so trained does not make one evil. It's how one chooses to use that training that determines whether they become evil or not. Besides, the castle spirit and Fawkes would have detected such evil and they have not."

Fawkes chose that moment to sing a long, clear note of agreement to that statement, making everyone blink and stare at him in bemusement.

However, Moody was not to be quelled that easily. "Neither reacted to Tom Riddle so that doesn't fill me with much confidence.

Dumbledore's eyes reflected sorrow. "He was but a child too who had been sorely abused, not evil at first but certainly misguided in his thinking. I blame myself for not addressing his needs immediately, allowing his anger at his prior treatment at the orphanage to fester and grow. By the time he departed before his seventh year, the castle spirit was ready to reject him but by then it was already too late."

Moody scowled, though he hadn't been aware of Riddle's treatment as a young child, it didn't change what kind of child he'd become. "Matter's not how he was treated early in life, the seeds of what he is were already there, Albus. I have learned sociopaths are born not made and that is what he was and is, nothing you could have done would have changed that. If he'd been properly diagnosed, he would never have been allowed to continue living. And the castle spirit nor Fawkes had said or done anything about it."

Dumbledore stared at him in surprise but it was Snape who responded, "I wasn't aware you even knew about muggle psychology much less bother with learning about it," Snape said, snidely.

Moody glared at him but said civil enough, "though we aren't prone to such things ourselves, I would be lax in my vigilance to discount such mental deficiencies in our muggle-born students. I have read about these mental aberrations. They are responsible for the monsters known as serial killers that have plagued and killed numerous muggles from their early history to present day. It would be careless of me to ignore such things when they can and do appear among us. If Riddle had been seen for what he was early on, it would have been a kindness to put him to death then as there is no cure for the condition even among muggles. Because we didn't, we are forced to deal with the results now as that madman tries to kill us all."

Snape eyed the man with new respect and private concern. He could kick himself for not having looked into this side of muggle behavior. Like most wizards, he discounted the muggles as any kind of threat to them but in conversations with Harry this past summer, he'd learned otherwise and here was Moody presenting yet another threat muggles represented. He needed to get educated on muggles quickly, especially this side of it and he would have to be extra careful around the old auror than he already was as the man was turning out to be far smarter and cannier than he'd realized.

"So are you saying my Godson is a budding sociopath too?" Sirius bellowed, outraged, fists clenched in fury. Lupin was forced to hold the furious man's shirt to keep him seated.

"No, he has no signs of that behavior, but he does bear watching. He is too powerful and not under our control which makes me worried about him among the other less capable children," Moody insisted.

"I thank you for your insight into something I wasn't aware of about Riddle, my friend, but in the case of Harry, I feel he is no threat to his classmates. However, keeping a watch over him is a wise idea and I appreciate your continuing to do that but, I will not have him harassed or disturbed without cause. Now it's very late and we've spent enough time on this subject. Time to seek our beds," Dumbledore ordered, ending the meeting.

"Good idea," Tonks grunted, rising from her chair and heading for the door, followed by the Weasleys.

Shacklebolt stood with stately grace, nodded his head at Dumbledore in respect before leaving himself.

Moody gave Dumbledore a long considering look before nodding his head sharply, exiting behind the ministry member.

Sirius hung back, lingering near the Headmaster's desk, waiting for all to leave. Lupin rolled his eyes at his friend but decided to remain by his side, refusing to leave until Sirius did.

"When can I be with Harry," Sirius demanded when everyone had gone and Dumbledore realized he was still there.

"I know how anxious you are to renew your ties with the boy, Sirius but he has many busy days ahead of him..."

"Do not tell me I have to wait until an official school break. It's not happening!" Sirius interrupted him, rudely.

Dumbledore sighed. "Then perhaps you could wait until at least the following weekend? Harry must still face the Minister of Magic's questioning this week and will most likely be annoyed and angry. Not a good way to begin a familial relationship, I should think."

"You'd be wrong! That is the perfect time to be with him as he will want comforting and someone to vent his ire on. And who better to listen than a relative?" Sirius countered firmly.

Shaking his head at the obstinacy of the man, the Headmaster capitulated. "Very well, this Sunday as Saturday he'll be occupied."

"Done!" Sirius grinned triumphantly then turned and headed for the door before the man could change his mind, Lupin on his heels.

"Surprisingly, I find myself in agreement with the mutt," Severus' voice floated to Dumbledore's ears.

He turned his head and stared in mild annoyance at his Potion's Master who was standing in the shadow of the door, waiting. Snape merely shrugged his shoulders and dipped his head in apology. "You need the boy to feel safe and happy here. If that means allowing Black to spend time with him, all the better. I bid you goodnight, Headmaster," the sallow man murmured silkily, leaving Dumbledore alone as he stepped out the door, closing it firmly behind him.

Standing up, Dumbledore walked to his familiar's side and gave the bird a gentle caress. "When did I lose control here?" he murmured, annoyed and tired.

Fawkes chirred soothingly to ease his friend, only a little sad for his familiar's frustrations. However, Harry's well being was the most important thing to him so keeping his familiar in the dark about what he knew was a small price to pay for keeping the boy safe.